I See You (Chris Tomlin and Brandon Lake song)

"I See You" is a song by American contemporary Christian musicians Chris Tomlin and Brandon Lake. It was released on August 6, 2021,[1] as the lead single from Tomlin's fourteenth studio album, Always (2022).[2] The song was written by Bryan Fowler, Chris Tomlin, and Jonas Myrin.[3] Bryan Fowler handled the production of the single.

"I See You"
"I See You" Single Cover
Single by Chris Tomlin and Brandon Lake
from the album Always
ReleasedAugust 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)
Recorded2021
Genre
Length3:48
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bryan Fowler
Chris Tomlin singles chronology
"God Who Listens"
(2020)
"I See You"
(2021)
"Thank You Lord"
(2021)
Brandon Lake singles chronology
"Too Good to Not Believe"
(2021)
"I See You"
(2021)
"Might Get Loud"
(2021)
Music video
"I See You" (Lyrics) on YouTube

"I See You" peaked at No. 31 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart published by Billboard.[4]

Background edit

On August 6, 2021, Chris Tomlin announced the release of "I See You" with Brandon Lake as a single,[5] accompanied with the song's lyric video.[6] Tomlin said the message of the song is "all about seeing God throughout the different seasons in life, the ups and the downs."[1]

Composition edit

"I See You" is composed in the key of D♭ with a tempo of 80 beats per minute,[7] and a musical time signature of 4
4
.[8]

Critical reception edit

Joshua Andre of 365 Days of Inspiring Media gave a negative review of "I See You", describing the song as a "typical CCM song in that Chris and Brandon together passionately and vibrantly relay to us that we can indeed see Jesus in creation and in everything in our lives, ... we are met with an enthusiastic melody… but a melody nonetheless whereby I as a listener am not that impressed. Because you see, it's a track that is forgettable."[9] Andre compared the song's theme to "I See You" by Rich Mullins, "At Your Name" from Tim Hughes, and "God Of Wonders" from Mac Powell and Cliff and Danielle Young.[9] Reviewing for Plugged In, Kristin Smith said "This sweet song reminds us that He is indeed always present, that He longs to be close to us in every moment. In fact, we are promised that the One who sees us will never leave or forsake us, that we can always rest in His love and provision. Tomlin and Lake remind us of that bedrock truth in “I See You.”"[10]

Commercial performance edit

"I See You" debuted at No. 31 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart dated August 17, 2021,[11] concurrently charting at No. 10 on the Christian Digital Song Sales chart.[12]

Music video edit

The lyric video of "I See You" was published via Chris Tomlin's YouTube channel on August 6, 2021.[13]

Track listing edit

"I See You"[14]
No.TitleLength
1."I See You"3:48
"I See You" — Apple Music bonus content[15]
No.TitleLength
2."I See You" (Lyric video)3:48
Total length:7:36

Personnel edit

Adapted from AllMusic.[16]

  • Adam Ayan — mastering engineer
  • Jesse Brock — mixing assistant
  • Daniel Carson — electric guitar
  • Chad Chrisman — A&R
  • Nickie Conley — background vocals
  • Jason Eskridge — background vocals
  • Bryan Fowler — acoustic guitar, background vocals, bass, electric guitar, keyboards, producer, programmer, synthesizer programming
  • Brandon Lake — primary artist, vocals
  • Paul Mabury — drums
  • Sean Moffitt — mixing
  • Brad O'Donnell — A&R
  • Chris Tomlin — primary artist, vocals

Charts edit

Weekly chart performance for "I See You"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
US Christian Songs (Billboard)[4] 31
US Christian Airplay (Billboard)[17] 50

Release history edit

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various August 6, 2021 [14][15]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Clarks, Jessie (August 6, 2021). "Chris Tomlin & Brandon Lake Partner On "I See You" - TCB". The Christian Beat. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  2. ^ Clarks, Jessie (July 15, 2022). "Chris Tomlin Releases Next Track "Holy Forever" Off New Worship Project - TCB". The Christian Beat. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. ^ "I See You | Chords, Lyrics and Sheet Music | SongSelect®". SongSelect. CCLI. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Chris Tomlin Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  5. ^ Harper, Blessing (August 6, 2021). "Chris Tomlin & Brandon Lake Help Us to See God in Difficult Circumstances with New Single : News : JubileeCast". JubileeCast. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Barnes, Tiffany (August 9, 2021). "Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake Releases Official Lyric Video 'I See You' : Music : BREATHEcast". BREATHEcast. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "I See You - Chris Tomlin - Brandon Lake Lyrics and Chords | Worship Together". Worship Together. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "I See You Chords PDF (Chris Tomlin / Brandon Lake) - PraiseCharts". PraiseCharts. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Andre, Joshua (August 8, 2021). "Chris Tomlin & Brandon Lake – I See You (Single) | 365 Days Of Inspiring Media". 365 Days Of Inspiring Media. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Smith, Kristin (August 13, 2021). "I See You - Plugged In". Plugged In. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "Hot Christian Songs Chart | Billboard". Billboard. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  12. ^ "Christian Digital Song Sales Chart | Billboard". Billboard. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  13. ^ "Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake - I See You (Lyric Video) - YouTube". YouTube. YouTube, LLC. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  14. ^ a b "I See You by Chris Tomlin & Brandon Lake on Amazon Music - Amazon.com". Amazon Music. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  15. ^ a b "I See You - Single by Chris Tomlin & Brandon Lake on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "I See You - Brandon Lake, Chris Tomlin | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  17. ^ "Chris Tomlin Chart History (Christian Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2021.

External links edit